


Fear gassed

by Niullum



Series: Short Fics! [3]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Bad Parent Jack Drake, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Emotional Hurt, Ficlet, Gen, Hurt Tim Drake, Hurt/Comfort, Scarecrow's Fear Toxin (DCU), Tim Drake Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:27:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26555077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Niullum/pseuds/Niullum
Summary: Tim gets fear gassed and thinks he's talking to Jack instead of Bruce. He tells "Jack" what he always wanted to say.
Relationships: Tim Drake & Bruce Wayne
Series: Short Fics! [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1931164
Comments: 20
Kudos: 295





	Fear gassed

**Author's Note:**

> The other day I stumbled upon a Tumblr post about posting your short stories as separate works, and it really inspired me to post mine! I have a lot of ficlets and one-shots gathering dust in my WIP folder, so over the next couple of weeks I will be posting them as separate stories with their corresponding tags. I will put them all in a [series](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1931164). Feel free to subscribe (to the series) if you want too!  
> 
> 
> 📍 This Fear gas eventually wears off. Bruce doesn't know Tim has been fear gassed. It's never mentioned explicitly throughout the fic, but that's what happened. So there's that.
> 
> ⚠️ Displays soft dad Bruce. ⚠️

“You’ve never loved me!” Tim shouted, shutting whatever Bruce wanted to say next. The words rang throughout the cave enough for the bats to fly away, leaving them both alone.

Bruce, on the other hand, froze on the spot, not knowing how to react or even say. At first, he thought this was an illusion. Perhaps even a hallucination but everything seemed _too real_.

And Tim, his middle child, was hurting.

“Tim, _son,_ ” Bruce spoke his name slowly trying to catch his son’s attention. Tim glanced up but there was something _wrong_. In all the time he’d met him, Tim had never behaved this way. He swallowed and added this time more softly. “What’s going on?”

There was a brief pause before Tim laughed. But unlike all the other times this laugh was different. Darker. Taunting.

“ _Son_?” Tim said mockingly. “Oh, because _now_ I am a son to you, _uh_?”

“Tim,” Bruce muttered, not knowing how to proceed. Millions of thoughts went through his head. “What are you talking about?”

“You never cared about me,” Tim said breathing heavily, looking at him with as much hatred as possible. His entire body trembled as he struggled to spit the words out. “You never did in the first place.”

Horror dawned upon his face as he saw, with his very own eyes, how Tim’s trembling hand jabbed a finger into his chest for emphasis, eyes glimmering with unshed tears.

“You loved the idea of me but not _me,_ ” he stressed out. He narrowed his eyes and added, “You. Never. Cared.”

“I do care, Tim,” Bruce said, taking a step forward to grab him and hug him, erase whatever hurt and doubt his son was going through.“I always have.”

Tim shook his head and slapped his hands away.

“Don’t touch me,” Tim hissed out, shaking his head, fighting to stay away from Bruce's grasp. “Don’t you freaking touch me, because I’ve had _enough_ of your lies. You...you-”

A sob escaped from his mouth.

“You always say the same and no matter what I do, you leave the next morning, and...and, then,” He said, his voice shaking until it broke off with a sob. Tim hugged himself and added in a whisper, shattering his adoptive father’s heart. “Then I’m _alone."_

"Tim—"

 _"A_ nd it's not fair! You go away as if I don't exist and _don't touch me!_ ” He shrieked when Bruce hugged him tightly. Something like hysteria bubbled up inside him the moment Bruce wrapped his arms around, and Tim _lost it._ He fought to break away. His nails raked his back along with every insult possible as Tim screamed, begged, and cried.

But Bruce stood there for a long time, never letting go as Tim's sobs turned into sniffles.

"I'll always be there, Tim," Bruce murmured his eyes filled with tears while stroking his son's hair, offering whatever words of comfort would ease the hurt that pained his boy. Not erase it completely—because Bruce knew it would take time for Tim to heal—but enough to dim it. To show him that he cared and loved him with every inch of his heart. "I promise you." 

A pause and he added, with a kiss on Tim's forehead.

" _I promise."_

**Author's Note:**

> For every kudo and comment, Bruce's hug lasts longer (jk). Thanks for reading and have a nice day!


End file.
